With the job market being so tight, people are trying to do whatever they can to give themselves an edge — including having their tattoos removed.

In the past year alone, laser tattoo removal has increased 32 percent, and many of those who have it done say they’re doing so for employment reasons.

“A lot of businesses have a policy that does not allow tattoos that are visible,” said Dr. Jen Mundt of Delete Tattoo Removal in Phoenix. “Sometimes you can’t have them at all.”

She added that many of her clients are recent college grads who are now looking for jobs and trying to erase “a mistake they made a few years ago.” And doing it isn’t cheap — on average, it takes about 10 hour-long appointments at about $200 per session to completely remove a tattoo.

And while that may be steep, especially for the unemployed, Mundt said, “It’s like going back to school — yes you can go into debt, but removing your tattoo might help you get along further in your career.”